Numerous processes have been developed for changing the fluorine content of halogenated hydrocarbons. These include increasing the fluorine amount of halogenated hydrocarbons which are not fully fluorinated, decreasing the fluorine content of halogenated hydrocarbon containing fluorine, and redistributing the number of fluorine atoms among two or more halogenated hydrocarbon molecules which are not fully fluorinated.
Various catalysts have been proposed for use in facilitating processes such as hydrofluorination, hydrochlorination (i.e., fluorine substitution by chlorine) and disproportionation which involve halogenated hydrocarbons. See, e.g., L. E. Manzer et al., Adv. Catal. (39) pp. 329-350 (1993). The catalysts proposed include catalysts involving combinations of cations. For example, a well known class of catalysts includes metals supported on alumina or fluorinated alumina. Typically these materials are prepared by depositing a soluble salt of the metal on an alumina or aluminum fluoride support. While this method does provide a combination catalyst, the support material and the material deposited thereon are not uniformly mixed. Techniques such as coprecipitation which rely upon physical characteristics of individual components (e.g., solubility) also typically yield non-homogeneously dispersed products due to differences in physical and chemical properties of the components. There is an interest in developing means for more homogeneous dispersion of components of multiple cation catalysts which can be used for changing the fluorine content of halogenated hydrocarbons.